"Deadeye"

New York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than forty novels some of which have been translated into German, French, Russian, Korean and Japanese. He also wrote the script for the Legion of the Damned game (i-Phone, i-Touch, & i-Pad) based on his book of the same name--and co-wrote SONY's Resistance: Burning Skies game for the PS Vita.

Dietz applied the Page 69 Test to his new book, The Mutant Files; Deadeye, and reported the following:

Detective Cassandra Lee of LA’s Special Investigative Section has built a fierce reputation taking down some of the city’s most notorious criminals. But the serial cop killer known as Bonebreaker—who murdered Lee’s father—is still at large. Officially, she’s too personally involved to work on the Bonebreaker case. Unofficially, she’s determined to hunt him down, no matter what the cost.

In the meantime, duty calls when the daughter of Bishop Screed, head of the Church of Human Purity, is kidnapped by mutants and taken into the red zone to be used for breeding. In order to try and rescue her, Lee must find a way to trust her new partner—a mutant lawman named Deputy Ras Omo—who will try to guide her through a dangerous land where women are bought are sold.

That’s a broad overview of the story—and here’s what happens on page 69:

McGinty sighed. “The bishop has a point you know... Female norms have been kidnapped and taken into the red zone for use as surrogate mothers. Let's say you're a mutant, you're wealthy, and you hope to produce a normal child. A paid or forced surrogacy is the only way to accomplish that... And given the risk of contracting B. nosilla while in the red zone--very few norms are willing to go there for money."

Lee had heard of such kidnappings but believed them to be rare. The people who ran the Republic of Texas wanted to prevent such crimes lest they be used as an excuse to declare war. The Aztec empire made no secret of its desire to take large chunks of Arizona and Texas back-- so the last thing the Republicans needed was a conflict with Pacifica. "Yes, sir," Lee said. "The surrogate thing is a possibility. But first things first."

"Such as?"

"Such as talking to those bodyguards. Plus it seems safe to assume that the surrounding stores are equipped with security cameras. So I'll want to review any footage they have. When did the kidnapping take place?"

"Yesterday," McGinty replied. "At 3:36 PM."

"So detectives responded? If so, I'll need to read their reports."

McGinty nodded. "One thing though..."

"Yes?"

"Detectives Yanty and Prospo were assigned to the case. They won't like being taken off of it by the Chief--and they won't like being replaced by you."

Lee frowned. "Me? What did I do?"

McGinty stood. "You're a member of the S.I.S. and a publicity hound... That's the way they're likely to see it."

Lee rose as well. "So what am I supposed to do?"

McGinty shrugged. "Do what you always do... Solve the case."

Note: That’s page 69 of what I have but--that could shift slightly when the actual book comes out. As it happens this chunk of text would give a reader a sense of who Cassandra Lee is, her relationship with her boss, and the kidnap case that’s she working on.

The Mutant Files trilogy will continue with Redzone and Graveyard. For more about Dietz and his fiction, visit his website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

The Page 69 Test: Andromeda's Fall.

My Book, The Movie: Andromeda's Fall.

The Page 69 Test: Andromeda's Choice.

--Marshal Zeringue